The Washington, D.C., voucher program, pushed by right-wing groups like the Heritage Foundation, was approved by Congress in 2004. It was supposed to be a five-year experiment, but it keeps getting reauthorized – even though studies show it has not boosted student achievement.

Many state constitutions have church-state language that is much more explicit than the First Amendment and flatly bars the diversion of tax money to religious schools. Americans United and its allies have used those provisions to invalidate voucher plans in several states.

No one minds when fundamentalist Christians attend the churches of their choice, interpret the Bible in a manner that pleases them or even when they spread their faith through voluntary channels. That is the promise of the First Amendment – but it is never enough for many of these folks.